Twisted
by Electroholic
Summary: (REPOST) What if, instead of Katniss, it was a different girl in the Hunger Games? Gale/OC


**A/N: I missed having this up :D So I'll keep this up on FFN until I find some time to deal with it~ (meanwhile mentally beating myself for posting another unfinished story).**

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**Lia POV**

I sighed, watching the old man I just sold some wild dog stew to walk away. Today is the day of the Reaping, and I definitely was not looking forward to it.

Here in the oh-so-wonderful nation of Panem, there are twelve districts for us citizens to live in. I live in District 12, with my brother, Byron. District 12 is one of the poorest, most ridiculed districts in the nation of Panem. With a population of around 8,000 people, District 12 specializes in coal mining.

Before the Dark Days, there used to be 13 districts. But, when District 13 started a rebellion against the Capitol - the center of Panem - they were destroyed, nothing left of them but ashes and charred bricks. That rebellion was what the Capitol liked to call the Dark Days.

After the war was over and the Capitol had won, they created The Hunger Games. The Capitol developed the Hunger Games as an annual event to punish the citizens of Panem for their rebellion and to remind citizens of consequences for rebelling against the absolute power of the Capitol. These games consist of one male and female tribute from each of the 12 districts, and they must fight to the death with the other tributes while trying to keep them selves alive. Eating, drinking, and shelter is the main priority, obviously. That's easy. But, trying to maintain your stature while also trying to kill 23 other tributes off? Almost impossible.

But, somehow, one person has to make it out alive.

Could I?

Probably not.

And that's why I'm praying I don't get reaped today, or in any other of the following reapings.

I was cleaning the wooden stew bowls when I heard my name. "Hey Lia," Peeta said flatly. No-one's happy at all today, usually there would be at least a slight chirp in my best friend's voice, but not today. All because of those freaks in the Capitol, punishing us for something we didn't do.

They disgust me.

"Peeta," I said, clearing my throat as it felt like it was closing in on itself from my nerves. I put the bowl I was currently cleaning down, "Just let me go change real quick." I said, retrieving my 'fancy' dress and shoes from one of the old worn down cabinets in Greasy Sae's stall and hustling off to the back of the Hob.

I dressed myself in a dirty eggshell white colored dress with inch wide straps and a flowy skirt, buttons in between the breasts at the top, and small black polka dots spread out widely all over the dress. I quickly slipped the tan flats on my feet, tied my pin straight ginger hair in a pony tail with a white ribbon, and made my way back out to Peeta, gripping his hand nervously in silence as we walked to the square, where the reaping is to take place.

Both of us signed in, our fingers getting pricked for blood by some Peacekeepers. Which isn't all that pleasant.

We turned to each other when we got there, just staring into each others eyes. Enjoying the moment, as it could quite possibly be are last together. We held both of our hands in between us, but that soon turned into a death-gripping hug.

"Good luck, Peeta." I told him, as everyone was starting to scramble into place.

"Good luck to you too, Lia... and don't worry, it'll be okay, I doubt either of us will get picked." he quietly reassured me.

I nodded, walking away from him to the girls side. Not before giving a weak, fake smile to Gale, a close friend of mine, when I passed.

Taking my place in line with all the other 17 year old girls, I realized no-one was on stage yet but a slightly buzzed-looking Haymitch Abernathy, one of the very few to ever survive The Hunger Games from District 12, drinking white wine with a scowl on his face.

Mayor Undersee soon walked onto the stage, Effie Trinket strutting in after him with that obnoxious smile of hers.

The mayor takes the stand first, he tells us the history of Panem. How it came to be from a place once called North America, all the way to the Dark Days, resulting in these annual games. "It is both a time for repentance and thanks." he finishes. Then he quickly reads off the list of past victors, which would only be two, Haymitch being the only one alive to this day.

That's where Effie Trinket comes in to call the names, bright and bubbly as ever, "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

She goes on about what an honor it is to be here, even though everyone knows she would give anything to be bumped up to a better district.

Now it's time...

"Ladies first!" she chirps. I really want to slap her right now. But I would probably get a death sentence when you think about how painfully strict The Capitol is with their Districts.

She crosses over to the glass ball on my right, sticking her claw-like manicured fingers into the thousands of paper slips, digging around a little and pulling one out, her eyes scan the paper.

Leaning into the microphone, she speaks in a clear voice with a permanent and irritating smile, "Katniss Everdeen!"

I sigh a little in relief, as it's not me, but then a realization hits me. I see her a few rows ahead of me, frozen and looking as if she'll faint any minute, and can hear her mother and little sisters' screams of protests and disdain.

Her little sister.

Her mother.

She has a family to feed.

It'd crush not only her family, but Gale, if she had to fight to the death like that.

Gale's told me a lot about her, as they're best friends, and it looks like she has to be here or they'll starve. As for me, Byron can take care of himself. And he's all I have. No-one else to worry about.

We've talked a little before, but what I do next just feels so weird to me, as Katniss steps out into the clearing, I run out of my roped area and yell as loud as I can. "I volunteer as tribute!"

My heart is beating a mile a minute and sweat starts to form on my forehead. Katniss looks at me with wide eyes. Can't blame her, we've never had a volunteer in District 12 before. That and the fact we almost never talk.

There's murmurs of confusion around me, and out of the corner of my eye I can see Gale looking at me with an expression of anguish.

"Lovely!" says Effie Trinket, "But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and then if one does come forth then we um..." she trails off.

"What does it matter?" the mayor asks gruffly, "Let her come forward."

And so I do, I slowly walk past Katniss, past all the mixed facial expressions of either sorrow, confusion, shock and more. Up the steps, and over to the curly pink-haired lady I so badly want to choke with her own frilly wig.

"What's your name?" she asks me, holding the microphone out for me.

I take a deep breath, "Lia Forte."

"It doesn't sound like you're related, how do you know Katniss?" she asks, puzzled.

"I don't really know her all that well but I do know she has a little sister and mother to feed." comes my monotone reply.

"Ah, yes I see, well come on everybody! Let's get a round of applause for our newest tribute representing District 12!" she speaks with a wide grin.

Nobody does though, it's dead silent in the square. I can see a few people pressing three fingers from their left hand against their lips and holding it out to me, but not everyone. Most people are still in shock.

Effie coughs a little, "Time for the male tribute!" and her smiles back and brighter than ever.

She walks over the ball that is now on my right but would've been on my left if I had not stepped up. Same as before, sticks her hand in the ball, takes a paper out, and reads it out loud.

"Peeta Mellark!" she announces, and I almost faint.

Obviously the odds are not in my favor whatsoever as I might just have to kill off my best friend to make it out of that hell hole alive.

**Gale POV**

"Peeta Mellark!" Effie Trinket announces, and I let out a relieved puff of air as I realize it's not me.

I can see Lia on stage, beautiful as ever in her simple polka-dotted dress, looking as if she might faint any minute.

I honestly don't know what the hell she was thinking when she volunteered to take Catnip's place, but it just makes me so angry and frustrated thinking I might never see her again.

Lia and I have know each other for a few years now. I had met her at the Hob when I was giving Greasy Sae some wild dog I managed to kill. It was her first day working there, so she was having trouble making and serving stew when I went up to her. Long story short, I had ended up helping her for the rest of the day and we've been really close friends ever since we were 13 and 14 years old.

It was a year later I developed a crush on the feisty ginger.

The rest of the reaping was a blur and soon enough I was almost full on sprinting into the Justice Building, and was lead up to the room Lia's being held in by a few peacekeepers. I made it up there just in time to see Prim, Katniss, and Miss Everdeen walk out of the door, Prim gripping the hem of Katniss' dress helplessly, weeping and sobbing freely. The same Peacekeepers shoved me towards the room and I gave Katniss and her family a look of acknowledgement.

Walking in, mine and Lia's eyes locked and we just stood like that for barely a minute before we ran across the room and embraced each other in a hug, and I never wanted to let go.

"Listen," I breathe into her neck, "I know you're not a very good fighter but you have to try, Lia, I don't want you to die like this," I broke apart from her and held her by her shoulders, "Go for the woods first, you're good at climbing right?" she nodded. "Good. Use the trees to hide and travel, and I think you might actually make it..." I trailed off.

"I don't think I can, Gale. I have no idea what I'll be doing out there for food, I'll die of starvation before anyone can murder me." she cried.

"No you won't, eat plants and berries. I know you mostly know whether it would be edible or not." I reassured her.

"Ok, that's food, but I can't actually kill a person!" came her reply.

"Well, you're going to have to have at least one tribute if you want to live, let them kill each other off and make your way to the last two." I told her.

She just wrapped her arms around my waist and silently cried into my chest as I petted her hair. A few minutes later I pulled back from her and opened my mouth to tell her something but the door suddenly burst open and the Peacekeepers dragged me out.

Now I'll never get to tell her I love her.


End file.
